TBWA Switzerland will have a new CEO from October 1: Andy Hostettler is moving from the top of JWT+Hostettler+Fabrikant to TBWA. He replaces the outgoing Director Madeleine von Arx, who is leaving the agency at the end of the year. The 47-year-old Andy Hostettler has worked in the marketing and communications industry for 25 years. He spent six of these years on the client side as advertising manager at Franz Carl Weber and as brand manager at Coca-Cola, according to the TBWA press release. He also held management positions at GGK Basel, Weber Hodel Schmid Zurich and Schmid&Hostettler&Fabrikant Arlesheim. Andy Hostettler has been CEO of the JWT+H+F agency in the Maag-Areal since 1997. Christian Lainer, Regional President TBWA Europe, comments on the new addition: "I am particularly pleased that such an experienced expert has joined our agency group in Switzerland." The pleasure is mutual, as the words of the designated CEO of TBWA Switzerland show: "I'm looking forward to supplying many new clients with fresh ideas very soon!" TBWA is the most creative network with outstanding global potential, Hostettler continues.
Madeleine von Arx, previously Managing Director of TBWA Zurich, will be leaving the agency at the end of the year to concentrate fully on her start-up company in the wellness sector, which she founded last year. TBWA's management will therefore be composed as follows in future: Andy Hostettler (Chairman), Matthias Kiess (Consulting and TBWA\Health), Armin Korf (Creation) and Dr. Urs Strukov (CFO).
Picture from left to right: Andy Hostettler, Urs Strukov, Armin Korf, Matthias Kiess

 According to its own figures, Radio 32, a station serving the Swiss Plateau, managed to maintain its reach in German-speaking Switzerland at 141,000 daily listeners. With an average listening time of 53.9 minutes per day, Radio 32 ranks among the top regional radio stations nationwide in this category. As Radio 32 states in a press release, the station remains the most listened-to station among 15- to 49-year-olds in its core coverage area between Aarau, Solothurn, and Bern. In the first half of 2007, 71,700 people from this target group tuned in daily, while 54,600 15- to 49-year-olds listened to DRS 3 every day. The ’Goldies’ oldies program, broadcast via cable, performed particularly well, recording a 51 percent increase in listeners, from 23,200 to 35,100 people.

 Around 91,000 people tuned into the private St. Gallen radio station Aktuell every day in the first half of 2007. This is the highest number of listeners since the station was founded 23 years ago. The news agency SDA reports a 20 percent increase in listeners for Radio Aktuell compared to the second half of 2006. The average of 91,000 listeners per day in the first half of 2007 corresponds to a market share of 11.7 percent. With an average daily listening time of 50 minutes, it is one of the longest in Switzerland.

 The trend for Swiss Radio DRS stations is cautiously positive. Thanks to good figures for DRS 3 and Musigwälle, they gained a market share of just under one percent overall. DRS is also reporting a slight increase in reach overall. In the first half of 2007, the SR DRS program family reached a total of 63.8 percent (see
). According to a press release from DRS, the market share of DRS 1 (- 1.3 percent) is shifting in favor of DRS 3 (+ 1.4 percent). DRS attributes this shift to the program strategy that is now taking effect. At Radio DRS 2 and the youth station Virus, there were only extremely minor changes in market shares. In terms of reach, i.e. the number of people who tuned into an SR program every day, DRS 1 and 2 lost marginally, while DRS Musigwälle, Virus and DRS 3 enjoyed minimal growth.

 The Metzgerlehner Worldwide Partners agency is launching a radio commercial for Bell to coincide with the barbecue season. A wide variety of musical tastes are featured with quick changes of different styles. Because musical entertainment may vary - but for everyone, Bell products are part of a good barbecue party, as Metzgerlehner states in the communiqué. The spot ends with the claim "Because with Bell, everyone can be a barbecue chef". It has been running on Radio Energy since the beginning of July.

 Matthias Städeli has joined the Prime Communications agency to strengthen marketing communications. As a senior consultant and consulting group leader, he has been leading an interdisciplinary consulting team with a focus on advertising and marketing communications since July. Städeli already headed this area at the Zurich agency around four years ago, before moving to UBS on the client side. Over the past two years, Städeli has worked as a consulting group leader at Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett, where he looked after clients such as Swiss Life, Mammut Sports Group, Migros Mode and Goldbach Media. The 35-year-old's professional experience also includes Advico Young & Rubicam, Weber Hodel Schmid, Publicis, Ruf Lanz and Frame Eleven. Städeli has qualifications as a marketing communications planner, multimedia producer and marketing manager.

 The communications manager of a pharmaceutical company has been fined CHF 7,500 by the Federal Supreme Court for violating the ban on advertising prescription-only medicines to the general public. In spring 2003, the communications specialist had sent PR articles about a prescription-only preparation for neurodermatitis to magazines and newspapers for publication. In the editorial articles, which appeared in three daily newspapers and a health magazine, the brand name of the drug was explicitly mentioned. The ointment was described as the "new star in the atopic dermatitis firmament" and the drug's active ingredient was touted as "the new cortisone-free wonder weapon against atopic dermatitis". The Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products Swissmedic then filed a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company. The Federal Supreme Court has now upheld the verdict of the Zurich High Court, which found the woman guilty of possibly intentional misconduct.
According to the Federal Supreme Court, the texts sent out by the communications specialist using the terms "new hope", "ground-breaking effect" and "ray of hope for patients" were "clearly subjective and likely to create incentives for readers to buy the product". In addition, various side effects were concealed.
According to the Therapeutic Products Act, advertising to the general public for medicines that may only be dispensed on a doctor's prescription is not permitted. It is punishable both in cases of intent and negligence. The ban is justified with the argument that patients can influence their doctor to such an extent that he no longer makes decisions based on his specialist knowledge. He should not be exposed to any pressure from his patients to prescribe the advertised preparation as a result of advertising to the public.

The Publicis subsidiary Fast Track and the music group EMI have created a nationwide billboard for the Beastie Boys. The "instrumental only" motif dramatizes the fact that the rappers' new album The Mix-Up is completely free of vocals. According to Fast Track, rappers who can keep their mouths shut deserve a special realease campaign. Adhesive tape was not only used extensively to hang up the posters. They can now be seen in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, Locarno and Montreux. EMI Music Switzerland is responsible for the production and media planning, Fast Track for the creation.

 Urs Gossweiler, the publisher of Jungfrau Zeitung, will also become editor-in-chief of the newspaper as of September 1, 2007. According to a press release from the publisher Gossweiler Media, in future he will no longer only perform representative and strategic tasks as publisher, but will also be operationally active. In his dual role, however, he will set clear priorities: "In case of doubt, we will always opt for journalism," Gossweiler is quoted as saying in the press release. The editor-in-chief of the so-called micro-newspaper has been in different hands in recent years. Since February of this year, Annette Marti has been managing the editorial team ad interim (see
). Gossweiler has a number of plans for his new post: On the one hand, he wants to incorporate his liberal ideas into the editorial team, but without restricting the equal existence of different opinions in the paper. On the other hand, he is aiming for growth in readership: The proportion of readers in the circulation area should increase from 67 to 70 percent.
With Tamedia, which has taken over Bern-based Espace Media, Jungfrau Zeitung has gained a new, direct competitor. For Gossweiler, it is therefore crucial in this competitive market situation that the company continues to develop its journalism, design and technology in-house and across all media.

 The head of the Blick online editorial team, Samuel Reber, is stepping down from his position for personal reasons, Ringier announced on Thursday. He wants to return to more journalistic activities at the Zurich publishing house in future. Reber only took up his post at the end of May and had previously been interim head since February. His deputy Marcel Zulauf will take over the interim management with immediate effect. The position will be advertised in the next few days.

 Ruf Lanz is using a new campaign to prove how environmentally friendly the vehicles of the Zurich public transport company (VBZ) are. Advertisements and posters show original pictures provided by Greenpeace of environmental activists blocking airplanes and trucks. They are intended to demonstrate to the public that environmental activists can either sit in front of large vehicles - or inside them every day. Because those who travel with the VBZ have less of an impact on the environment, according to a press release from Ruf Lanz. This applies not only to the streetcars, but also to the buses. In addition to the electronically powered trolleybuses, VBZ has been using particle filters and practically sulphur-free diesel since 1989. The environment does not fall by the wayside when it comes to vehicle maintenance either: thanks to gentle care products and washing lanes with reconditioning facilities.

 The half-year figures from Publica Data paint a positive picture for the medium of radio: Overall, public stations and private radio stations reached more listeners than in the same period last year. A total of 91.2 percent of over 15-year-olds in German-speaking Switzerland listened to the radio every day in the first half of the year. Both DRS and the private stations were able to increase their listening figures compared to the previous semester, as reported by SDA. The market share of all DRS stations rose by 0.8 percent to 63.8 percent, while that of the private stations increased by 0.5 percent to a total of 26.3 percent. The latter recorded a reach of 54.8 percent. This figure is also up by one percentage point. The upward trend in the domestic radio offering is at the expense of foreign stations, whose market share fell by 1.4% to 6%.
In German-speaking Switzerland, DRS 1 remains the most listened to radio station despite a 1.3 percent drop in market share. According to the SDA report, the leader among the 28 private stations is once again Radio 24 with a market share of 2.8 percent (see
). In French-speaking Switzerland, where the number of radio listeners rose by 0.8 percent to 1.325 million, Radio Suisse Romand (RSR) was the most listened to station, but lost 0.4 percent of its market share. According to SDA, the market share of all RSR stations amounted to 56.4 percent. In Ticino, the market share of Radio Italiana fell from 71.3 to 69.3 percent.